What Makes a Good Sermon?

A preacher needs to constantly be aware that it doesn't matter which Sunday it is when he delivers his sermon. Every opportunity to preach God's word is special. There are no special sermons for special occasions which need to be better than others. The heart of the preacher committed to God is the first and foremost quality in a good sermon.

A good sermon is covered in prayer. There should be prayer for the preacher before the sermon is delivered, prayer by the preacher for a heart to hear from God and prayer during the sermon for the people and the preacher. The work of a sermon is done by the Holy Spirit. The preacher is just the delivery boy.

Sermons should be experienced before they are delivered. I don't mean that a preacher must experience the sin before he can preach but even when he preaches about certain sins he should know the pain they cause families, individuals and God. He should be aware that he, too, could be in that sin if not for the grace of God. He needs to let God's word run through him before he speaks of it to the congregation.

A good sermon is an act of obedience. The preacher should not measure the success by the number of decisions that were openly made. It may be that the sermon was for one person in the congregation (though that is very rarely the case). The preacher must answer the question, "Was I faithful to God in this sermon?" If the answer is yes, there is no need to scrutinize the sermon further.

A preacher should not say he has preached a good sermon by the praise he receives. Not everyone will love a sermon which God has delivered through a preacher and some people will love sermons that don't change anyone for God's glory.

A good sermon must be biblical. The preacher has nothing to say if he doesn't say it from God's word. It is His word for all time. It will never fade away. It is powerful; more powerful than a two-edged sword. The preacher cannot be obedient without being faithful to the Word. He must study the Word and pray of it. It must become a part of him before the sermon can be delivered.

I hope that you hear a good sermon this Sunday.

God Has Not Forgotten You

I wondered if God had forgotten me. I was having a terrible time in the ministry. I begged God to move me to a new church. I prayed each day. I told Him that I could not make it one more day. Of course, I said the same thing the next day.

I tried blackmail when begging didn't work. I told God that I would leave the ministry if He didn't give me what I needed. I told Him that I would not serve Him again. I told Him that I would forget Him. He told me that He could do all that He was doing through me with someone else but that I could not do anything without Him.

Bargaining came after the blackmail. I told God all of the things that I would do for Him if He would move me. I said I would love more and give better and forgive all and anything else that was more than anyone else. He told me that all He wanted me to do was be obedient to Him. There is no way to do more.

So, I waited. I prayed. I told Him I knew He love me. I told Him that He had the right timing in mind. I grew closer to Him than I ever had before. I learned more about forgiveness and love than I have ever learned before. I began to understand patience. I loved God with a greater love.

I cannot say that I love those times when I have thought that God has forgotten me. I don't like pain. Who really does? I do love what God does with me during these times.

God hadn't forgotten me. He was growing me in a way that I would never have grown if I had not gone through the tough time. I am sure that every time I wept through the crisis that He wept with me. He didn't enjoy sending me through this time. He knew it was necessary.

I was moved at the right time to the right church. I praised God for the move. I praise Him more for the changes in my life.

You may be going through an extremely tough time right now. I am one who knows what you are feeling. God has not forgotten you any more than He had forgotten me. At the right time (not our time but His time) He will deliver you.

Would you send this blog to someone you know who is going through a tough time? They need to know God hasn't forgotten them either.

The Sun Can't Be Seen When the Debts Are Piled So High

There is a local furniture store that will sell without customers having to make any payments for years. It means their furniture is priced so high they can afford to wait on your payments. It means that they are going to ask for serious collateral before making this loan. It means it is to their advantage to sell their furniture this way. I cannot understand why anyone would accept this deal. Why can't people be patient enough to wait until they can afford furniture? They will get it at a much better price with cash.

I fear debt. The Bible says, "The borrower becomes the lender's slave." (Proverbs 22:7) I don't want my ministry to be hampered because of my debt. The Bible also says, "The wicked borrow and do not repay." All debts must be repaid or I am wicked. If I can't afford it now, why should I believe I can afford it later? I limit my debt to my house. I used to think that was an appreciating investment. I am not so sure anymore. I pay my credit cards off every month. I just don't want to say, "Lord, I can't do what you want because I have so much debt."

America is borrowing heavily from China. What does that tell us? What happens if they were to call for their loans to be paid quickly? Would we become their slaves? Will our children be the slaves of the Chinese because of our desire to avoid difficult circumstances? Is it immoral to hand people such a large debt?

I know this sounds political but it is truly a moral issue to me. I am sorry for all the greed America has displayed which got her into this situation. I am sorry that it will cause immediate hardships to people. I, however, do not believe it is better to delay these hardships on others. I believe our generation needs to be the one who owns its own mistakes and sins. It would be extremely hard but we should hand the next generation a better America than we are doing now.

The generation before my generation knew that they wanted their children to live a better life. They fought a world war to keep us safe and prosperous. They paid a huge price to hand us an America we could do anything with. Don't we have that same responsibility for our children and grandchildren? Aren't we just a greedy as those who placed us in this recession when we put off our debts to the next generation?

We have two choices: Borrow our way so high in debt that we will never see the end of it or take our lumps, brush ourselves off and show what Americans are made of.

If you choose the first I recommend you start teaching your children Chinese. The first word they will need to know is "master."

Is America's Morality Dead?

I heard a politician talking about his party this morning on tv. He said they (his party) had to determine what would get their party elected. I wondered if he knew what he just said.

What is wrong with determining what the core values and morality of who you are and seeking others who will join you? Could it be that we don't have a stabilizing morality in our country any more? Are we only seeking what appears to make our lives better without thinking what these actions will do to our souls?

Politicians think they are selling themselves to the public. They think that they must be what the public wants. They change from day to day so that they can blow with the winds of public sentiment. It is said that an honest person can't be elected.

Is it more valuable to be elected that to be honest?

Our country was founded as a republic not a democracy. The rule of law established within the Constitution and it's amendments were to lead the country as it developed ways to protect its citizens. The founding fathers knew that a true democracy was doomed. Every decision would be met with a vote. Right and wrong could be changed depending who showed up for the vote. They believed that a general election would keep the politicians in line. They believed that a majority of the people were hard-working, honest people who would do what was right. They believed that corrupt politicians would be thrown out of office and moral ones would be elected. It worked for many years. At least the politicians weren't overtly immoral.

Now, we seem to be swayed toward how we feel rather than by the constitution. The nation often rejects any statements which reflect strong morality. I believe this, not religious freedom, is the greatest objection to the posting of the Ten Commandments. People do not like to be reminded that they will have to answer to a Higher Power some day.

Whose fault is it that the nation has lost its morality? I believe it is the Church's. Churches put attendance and offerings at the head of their list as signs of significance and success. They did not adequately respond to immorality within their ranks. It has gotten so bad that surveys reveal that Christians are as likely to do anything immoral as anyone else. Who will model morality if the church fails to do so?

That is why God said, "If my people who are called by my name; will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Note that He didn't say anything about the rest of the world. He spoke about the people called by His Name.

I believe that it is our responsibility to return to God humbly with confession to seek His face. I believe we must avoid even the appearance of evil. I believe that our nation is in need of the Church becoming the example of morality again. I believe it is our only hope for deliverance from chaos and possibly anarchy which will soon inhabit our land.

Of course, that begins with me. Would you say this prayer as I have:

Dear God,
Our nation needs to return to You. I will be that beginning. I humble myself before you. I seek Your Face. I ask for your forgiveness of my sins. I ask for your help in turning from any wickedness I have committed. I commit myself to You and to Your ways. I will do whatever You lead me to do. Thank You for bringing my nation healing. Amen.

Is it possible that enough people will do this so that we will see a moral America again?

Guarding Your Heart

It is so easy to find yourself in a sin before you know it. One moment, you are clean before the Lord and within minutes you are doing something you know you shouldn't do.

I cooked a frozen pizza for lunch yesterday. I told myself to eat only a certain amount. I was so hungry that I ate rapidly. I still felt hungry. I had eaten the whole pizza before I knew it. That may not sound like much of a sin to some people. My problem is that I am already thirty pounds overweight. It is a sin to be a glutton.

I can resist anything but temptation. Temptation is something that I will gradually succumb to. That is why the Bible tells us to flee rather than resist temptation. It is in our nature to fall into it.

What could I have done? I could have eaten slower and allowed my stomach tell me that I had already eaten enough. That would have taken planning before I ate. I could have taken what I said I would eat, wrapped the rest of it in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator before I ate. I would have been less likely to overridden these plans and eaten the rest of the pizza.

The point is: Lack of planning in an area of temptation will result in trying to resist sin rather than flee from it. The end product will almost always be sin.

This is why we must guard our hearts. Mine should belong to God. Mine should be like God's heart. I have allowed impurities in when I sin. I must put guards in front of my heart so that sin cannot come close.

Today, I went with the church staff for lunch. I ordered two slices of pizza. I set one aside and asked for a take-out container early. I put one piece in the container and closed the lid. I had a much easier time not eating any more pizza.

You know, you would think I would have learned this by now. How about you?? Please leave me any comments.

The Hardest Thing in the World for a Christian

The hardest thing that Christians should do is having a devotional time each day. It doesn't take much time. It doesn't take any money other than the purchase of a Bible (many churches will give you one if you ask). So why not do that which will produce the greatest positive change in your life?

Part of the reason is that we do not prepare to spend the time. We stay up very late watching programs on tv which will not have a positive affect on our lives. We get up as late as possible. We rush to work or school without a moment to spare. The time to prepare to have a devotional is the night before. That doesn't occur to us.

We busy ourselves with lots of things that don't matter and often forget those things which do. Our whole day is so full that we can't give ourselves any time to stop and meditate. We generally keep this schedule until we get sick. Then, we can meditate but it is under the influence of drugs we are taking so we can get some rest and get back in the race.

Other things seem more important at the time we need to have a morning devotional. There is something over there I must put in its place. There is a call I must make. There is an email I must respond to. These things present themselves to us right at the time we want to have a devotional.

Most Christians don't know how to have a morning devotional. They can't see any productive action produced. My method is to being by prayer. I ask God to speak to me. I, then, read scripture (usually through a book in the Bible) and write what it has said and apply it to my own life. Some times it requires an action from me. I may have to forgive someone or make a commitment to call someone or even explore the possibility of a new ministry. I then close with prayer. I am not very methodical. Many great Christians have kept prayer lists and journal from their praying. This isn't me. I just pray as people and needs enter my mind. The whole process can take anywhere from ten minutes to thirty. I try not let it go over thirty minutes because I don't want to think I can't have a devotional if I don't spend more than thirty minutes. I let the rest of the day order itself around this devotional.

Eventually, I miss a day no matter how many days or months I have gone without missing one day of having a devotional. I can't let that become a habit. I have to make a greater effort the next day.

The benefits are that I give more grace to others since I have been shown grace in my devotional. I forgive because I know I am forgiven. I grow in understanding of the events in my life as ordered rather than random acts of fate. I hear my Lord speak to me. I am changed for the better.

The need will never end. I must keep at these devotionals. A consistent devotional is the hardest thing in the world for a Christian. The effort is way beyond worth it.

Have you had your devotional today?

Does Church Have to Be Boring?

I have been there too. I have sat through a boring worship service. I didn't know any of the songs. The sermon was one that told me the history of Catholicism which I really wasn't interested in anyway. I just wanted it to stop. The final hymn was the most blessed event of the whole time. It meant it was over!

We have to admit: Not every worship service is going to thrill our souls. Maybe the whole service is for someone else? Maybe my heart is in the wrong place? These may be true some of the time but a lot of the time it is just a boring service.

Worship services should not have entertainment as their primary purpose. Of course, you can tell when a church sets its heart on entertainment. Each song, each sentence and each prayer leads to crescendos which will get the congregation to respond. If they don't the leaders will tell them that there is something wrong with them if they don't fall on the floor with excitement. Crowds and peer pressure can get the individual to just about anything.

Churches whose goal is entertainment are distracting you from the fact that they haven't said anything. Their slight of hand made to look the other way.

Some times church can have lots of substance but say it in the most boring way. The preacher's low monotone voice puts people to sleep even though he is giving the words of life to the congregation. He lacks the excitement he should have that comes with sharing a timeless essential truth.

Here are my suggestions if your church service is only a little boring:

Lean forward when you start getting bored. It is a posture for listening. It will keep you from slumping back and falling asleep.

Get a pen and the bulletin and start doodling. Studies show that people remember 29% more of what they have heard if they doodle. It keeps the hands busy and also keeps us alert.

Ask yourself this question after each of the preacher's sentences: So what? This is not an evaluation but an application into your own life. So what if I do what he has just said. So what if I live with Christ in my heart. What will be the result of compliance with the preacher's message?

Pray during the message. Pray that the preacher will find that message and be able to deliver it. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak where the preacher is not. Pray that it will be over soon if it is really bad.

Some church services are going to be boring no matter what you do. It certainly doesn' t mean you should stop going. Not every meal your mother made for you was exciting either. You didn't stop eating.

Now, I have to go right now and give an exciting sermon. No kidding!